Raising Hell or what he does best
by redireas
Summary: It was an utterly undeniable fact: Peeves had a crush on Lily Marie Evans. And everyone knew.


**A/N: I'm not quite sure who was the first person to come up with Lily Marie or where I've heard it but it has a nice ring and so it stuck. Whoever came up with that, I thank you. **

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Well, plot is. Characters aren't. I don't even own the name Lily Marie. Sigh.**

**Raising Hell (or: What He Does Best)**

It was an utterly undeniable fact: Peeves had a crush on Lily Marie Evans. And everyone knew.

For once in his life Peeves was being harassed by students and actually feeling offended; he brushed off taunts the best he could but without the same show and grace he had in previous years. Could this possibly mean that Peeves had a weakness?

The Marauders, who had an unspoken respect for the poltergeist, began to scowl at him in the corridors. First years laughed at his once terrifying stunts. Teachers pitied him. Even the Bloody Baron let off a little, recognizing that Peeves had already received a fair amount of punishment on his own.

Peeves took to the corridor on the third floor near the painting of the ferocious Roman Emperors and tried his best to come up with tricks that would be frightening, not laughing stalks. "It'll pass," Nearly-Headless had mentioned one Friday afternoon, with false airs of wisdom. "Surely they'll forget about your little confession in a week's time."

But a week was an awfully long time and Peeves was already self eroding within days. Slughorn had casually slipped him a pick-me-up potion one morning but Peeves had shrugged it off bitterly.

The only person who was not treating him strangely was Lily Evans. She continued to roll her eyes jokingly at him as she passed, giving him a small smile. Peeves wanted to pull a prank on the entire school _just _for her amusement, not a mean one of course, but one she would find funny.

One afternoon, just as the sky was turning dark, James Potter approached Peeves in the hallway. It was known of course that Potter and Evans were dating and Peeves would've blushed in embarrassment – if he could've. It was terrible enough seeing the entire school mock him in the corridors, he didn't need Potter to come talk him down.

"What do you want?" Peeves asked nastily, almost hissing at the boy.

Potter quirked his brow, "Almost back to your normal self there, Peeves?"

Peeves' face contracted as he attempted a frightening glare. Potter had to bite back a smile. "Look, I'm not mad at you or anything."

Peeves floated carelessly to a window sill and perched in mock thought. "Now, why would _you_ be mad at _me_?"

He was catching onto the game. Potter placed his hands in his pockets and continued, "She _is_ my girlfriend and all."

Peeves raised an eyebrow. "I haven't the faintest clue what you're talking about."

"Lily," James went on, gazing adamantly and Peeves, "I mean I understand why you'd be attracted to her…"

"Me? Attracted to _Evans_?!" Peeves put up his arms indignantly.

"…She's smart, funny, vivacious…"

Peeves blew a raspberry, but James pressed on.

"…she's loving and beautiful and a _redhead_…"

Peeves put his fingers in his ears.

"…she's nice to the crudest people, even when they spit at her…"

Peeves sighed audibly.

"Look mate," James leaned against the wall near where Peeves was hovering, "it's cool (I can't imagine anyone _not_ being attracted to her). But you _are _a poltergeist. So, that kind of complicates things. And _we're_ _dating_. I'm just saying, I agree it's tragic, but we all miss Peeves dropping dungbombs on our heads between classes."

Peeves, who had looked the most somber expression James had ever seen him wear, brightened up a bit. "Really?"

"Yeah, where do you think The Marauders' get all their prank ideas from?"

Peeves was practically beaming.

"So just _please_ start raising hell again? _Please_?"

Peeves thought for a moment about the past few days, about the taunts from students and awkward sympathies from the teachers. He thought about Lily trying with her kind smile to put things back to normal. "Raise hell?" Peeves shrugged everything off, "I think that's something I can do."

**A/N: Short I know. I'm not quite sure why I wrote about Peeves but there you go. **


End file.
